Adopted, Book 1: Refractive Sand
by kaarma
Summary: warning:thisbook contains a multitudeamount original characters made by me summary:They once wondered what would've happened if they had not met the young girl. Had not took her in and treated her as family. If they had never crossed paths. Suzume enters the Kazekage's household whether by coincidence or by the will of another. And nothing could've prepared them for what came next.
1. Chapter 1

There was a picture of a girl around the age of fifteen or sixteen in his home in Leaf and Sand. His mother always smiled kindly at the image, a nostalgic almost sad gleam flickering in her teal green eyes. His father often glanced at the photo as he was heading out to assist the Hokage. He'd crack a smirk and mutter the word 'baka' under his breath, extending the vowel sound in the middle.

His uncles, who often came to visit their sister, would both pause at the sight of the picture and smile fondly. His parent's friends would also greet the girl in the picture whenever they barged in on their family's hospitality. A certain green jumpsuit clad ninja constantly came close to bawling his eyes out whenever he saw the picture, a gruff man who smelled like canine would grin toothily, and the moms of his friends would also get that same gleam as his own mother.

As soon as Shikadai was old enough, he attended the Academy and soon found out who exactly that person was. They were told by Aburame sensei that they'd be learning about one of his late close friends. They all gave him a look at those words and he told them to turn to page 888. As soon as they did, the kids of the famous Konoha eleven all made sounds of surprise and recognition. Shikadai himself hurriedly brought the textbook closer, all of the previous boredom vanquished.

There, on the page, was the same girl that was in the picture of Shikadai's house. Boruto exclaimed exaggeratedly as his eyes popped out of their sockets. Salada and Chocho began whispering to each other and Inojin and Shikadai exchanged glances.

"Oi, oi!" Boruto yelled across the room. "Shikadai! Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same girl you have a picture of in your house?!"

"Yeah…" Shikadai frowned, concentrating on reading the passage.

The girl had red brown hair tied back and her wavy bangs framed her face. She stood in front of the camera, a bit uncertain about how she should present herself, but still had the stature of a powerful person. Her skin was pale and her face was entirely emotionless. The scenery behind her was of the old Hidden Sand Village, the dust making a haze along the spherical buildings. She seemed distracted by something in the background, her pupil less black eyes looking passed the camera lens.

"Please don't address the former Alpha as a 'girl', kids," Aburame sensai instructed them. "Why? Because it's disrespectful and she'd definitely be kicking you through a couple of houses if she were alive."

"Alpha?" Salada narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"First things first," their teacher turned his back on them and grabbed a stick of chalk. He wrote a name on the board and underlined it with a quick slash of the white chalk.

Shikadai noticed how his instructor stared over the words with the same wistful atmosphere as the rest of the adults before facing them again.

"We'll be learning about the historical figure by the name of Suzume of the Sand. Why? Because she saved this world more than three times."

* * *

><p>Gaara and his siblings were back from a mission that Baki had ordered. They were strolling around the village to the Kazekage mansion, taking their time to catch up with each other. It had been their first mission together ever since Gaara had joined the regular troops and Temari and Kankuro were hoping they'd get some bonding time with him. The sand under their feet shifted as they took a step and the temperature of the village was as normal, beating down and sweltering. The desert wind blew by and rustled their clothes for a bit until it grew bored and traveled elsewhere. Somewhere in the distance they could hear children's laughter and the muffled kicking of a ball. Gaara's siblings were blabbering behind him as they walked.<p>

"Kankuro, it's your turn to cook dinner. Stop trying to get out of it," Temari said irritated.

"But I've got work, _jan_," Kankuro said with a lazy wave of his hand. "Puppets don't make themselves."

"You know I have paperwork to finish and Gaara destroys the food whenever he tries to cook, no offense," Temari said hurriedly.

"None taken," Gaara replied, fully aware of his lack in cooking skills.

Kankuro thought it over. "Fine, but I'm not doing the laundry tomorrow."

Temari glowered at him. "You can't do that. It was your turn to cook in the first place."

She was practically growling and a black aura had surrounded her. Knowing the situation was going to get out of hand, Gaara picked up his pace and walked away from his siblings. He turned a corner and mentally sighed, a bit relieved to leave his siblings at it. He was walking toward the old park he once spent his time at as a child. His expression didn't change as he surveyed the playground. The swing was still there; but someone had taken his place on it.

A girl around the age of 11 sat swinging half-heartedly on the seat of the swing. She was alone and staring as the kids in front of her played a sport. Seeing her reminded him of how he was when he was six. Alone and longing to be accepted. When he looked carefully, he saw that the girl was wearing clothes that were ragged and worn. Patches on patches were stitched on but it still had a rip through one of the pants legs. As he watched, the ball from the other children's game rolled over to the girl. She paused and stood. She picked it up and walked over to them. Gaara was anticipating screams of terror and the sound of running footsteps, but to his relief that didn't happen. The kids didn't seem to be scared of the girl and the stood their ground.

"Gaara, what are you doing?" his siblings had joined him at the park.

He stared at the girl for a moment longer before walking away. "It's nothing. Let's go back home."

* * *

><p>After the ninjas vanished around the bend, the girl from before was pushed roughly to the ground by the boy in the front of the group.<p>

"Who told you you could touch our ball, you freak?!" he spat. He kicked the girl hard in the gut and she grunted at the impact. "Outcasts like you should just crawl into a hole and die!"

After the little boy was done, he walked back over to his friends.

"The ball's all contaminated by dirty freak germs now," he grumbled as he held the soccer ball at arm's length. "It smells horrible!"

"Just leave it, Yoshiro! If you're not careful you'll catch a disease."

"You're right," the boy threw the ball over his shoulder and walked off with his playmates. "I'll ask my parents for a new one."

The kids all laughed and ran to a different playground. The ball from before rolled to a stop next to the battered girl and she pulled herself up into a sitting position. She picked up the ball and placed it on her lap.

The brown haired girl got to her feet and ran after the group of kids.

A crowd of little boys and girls ran passed the Sand Siblings chanting a song with shrieks of glee.

"The freak is dirty, smelly, and icky

Her teeth is all rotted

Her clothes ratty

Her eyes are red

And her hair is sticky!

She's not human, she's vermin!"

"What a foul song," Temari frowned. "What are they teaching kids nowadays?"

"It's probably one of those stories parents tell that scare kids into doing the right thing," Kankuro replied. "That song sounds like they're trying to tell the kids to maintain good hygiene."

"You might be right," Temari stared after the kids as they stopped in front of a candy stall.

Gaara had a feeling it wasn't a fable intended to teach the children a lesson. He scanned the mass of tiny heads for a certain girl and wasn't surprised to see that she wasn't incorporated in the collection of Suna offspring.

"Gaara."

The red head turned at the sound of his sister's voice. Her tone was slightly horrified and soft and he followed her gaze and it landed on the same girl from the playground standing a few feet away from them.

Her skinny form was excruciatingly painful to behold at this distance. Her eyes were sunken and her hair was matted. You could see every groove of rib and bone, her lips chapped and bruises blossoming on her pale, pale skin. She took a step forward, a leather soccer ball in her grasps, and realizing the shinobi's eyes on her, she paused abruptly and bowed low to the ground then hurriedly made her way by them.

"Damn…" Kankuro muttered under his breath. "How's she still alive?"

Temari shook her head, lost for words. The siblings watched as the girl approached the kids and tapped one on the shoulder. The boy faced the girl only to stumble back in shock. The girl lifted up the ball.

"You dropped this," her voice was frightened and small. She couldn't even look at them straight on.

The boy's surprise evolved into anger. He knocked the ball out of her hands. "Are you kidding me?!"

The girl's eyes enlarged as the rest of the kids noticed her and the boy clenched his fist. He stomped forward and she tripped over her feet as he loomed over her. The poor girl was shaking uncontrollably and had her arms up in front of her face for protection, her legs curled into her chest.

"Can't you take a hint!?" Yoshino shouted. "We don't want you around! You're nothing but a rat on the streets!"

"Oh ho…" Yoshino spun around to see Kankuro cracking his knuckles with shadows cast over his face. "You speak so highly of yourself, brat."

It was Yoshino's turn to cower. If facing a well-known shinobi wasn't enough to make him run from the scene screaming like a little girl, the appearance of two more was. The Sand Siblings watched him and his friends run crying to their mothers.

"Tsk…" Kankuro scowled after them.

There was the sound of scuffling and they saw that the young brunette was posed like a cat in the face of danger. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her legs were spread apart, still quivering. She gritted her teeth and it was as if she might hiss at them at any moment.

Kankuro reached out an arm. "Hey—"

The girl flinched and jumped back, still staring at them in distrust.

Kankuro hastily lowered his arm back to his side. "We won't hurt you." He promised.

She didn't look convinced. Before they could say or do anything, she scampered off down an alleyway, swallowed up in shadows.

"Let's go after her," Gaara jumped onto the roofs.

"Huh?!" Kankuro gawked at his brother. "And what're we going to do when we catch up?!"

Gaara was already in pursuit.

"Oi! Gaara!" Kankuro and Temari went after him.

"We can't just leave her like that," he said once they caught up.

"Gaara," Temari tried to reason with him. "She's too far gone. Her body's too malnourished."

Gaara kept silent for a few seconds. "We can always try."

"What's up with you today?" Kankuro queried. "We always pass homeless people on the streets. What makes this girl any different?"

The redhead glimpsed the shadow of the girl from the corner of his eye and he changed course. When he answered Kankuro his sister and brother both stared at their sibling.

"She's reminds me of someone."

The trio were now right on top of the girl and they descended down to cut off her escape paths. Her eyes were wild with fear as she whipped around, looking like she wanted to hide under a rock.

"Please don't hurt me!" she pleaded, tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm sorry I looked at you! I won't do it again!"

"Calm down," Temari said as nicely as possible. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Gomenasai! Gomenasai!" she fell to her knees, bowing her head. "I won't do it again!"

Temari glanced at her brothers, beseeching for their help. "I'm not good with this sort of thing."

Kankuro stepped up after Gaara also appeared lost in a course of action. The brunette walked over to the girl and crouched down on one knee in front of her. He saw her recoil involuntarily at the sound of his footsteps.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Suzume," she whimpered.

"Well, then, Suzume. How about you join us for dinner?"

Her trembling stopped. "I'm sorry. I think I heard you wrong."

"I asked if you wanted dinner, _jan_."

Suzume finally lifted her head to look at the shinobi with teary, onyx eyes. She obviously had not expected this turn of events. "Dinner?" it sounded like she was testing the word on her tongue.

Kankuro smiled. "Yeah. Food and stuff."

She glanced at Temari and Gaara and they both tried to the least bit frightening than how they usually were.

"Why?" she directed the question at Kankuro. Her eyes were wide with wonder.

He scratched the back of his head, closing one eye habitually. "Because you need to eat?"

As if on cue, there was a loud growling that emitted from within Suzume's stomach. Her face turned bright red and Kankuro and Temari cracked a grin.

"Come on," Kankuro got to his feet and held out a hand for the girl. "Don't be shy, _jan_."

Suzume hesitated for a moment more before accepting his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

When they had returned to the Kazekage's mansion, Suzume stood awed at the building.

"This is your home?" she asked. "Isn't this where the Kazekage lives?"

"We only live here because we were the deceased Kazekage's kids. We're allowed to live here because the council said we could, otherwise we would've had a small apartment or something," Kankuro said.

"But we don't have servants," Temari said briefly. "We couldn't pay them, so we had to let them go."

Suzume kept gawking at the building while the three shinobi let themselves in.

"Suzume," Temari's voice broke her out of her awe and Suzume rushed to catch up to them.

Instead of entering through the front door like she expected them to, the trio went around the Kazekage mansion and headed toward the back. The door in the back was not as spectacular as the one in front. Whereas the front door had fresh paint, a smooth surface, and shining doorknobs and hinges, the back door had fading, chipping paint, rusted hinges, and an overall sad atmosphere to it.

Kankuro pulled something out of his pocket and Suzume saw that it was a tiny, metal pick. He knelt down, heaving a sigh as he proceeded to unlock the door.

Temari saw Suzume watching and explained. "We lost all the keys and the Council had asked us not to go in through the front door because it's the shinobi headquarters. Apparently, it's distracting if we're around."

"Got it," Kankuro smiled in accomplishment when there was an audible click indicating that it had unlocked. He pocketed the pick again and got to his feet. "Gaara…"

Gaara waved him away from the door and he did a complicated turn of the knob. The door popped open and wood chips clattering onto the ground as he opened it further.

Kankuro smiled brightly at Suzume. "Welcome to our humble abode!"

Suzume looked down quickly, fidgeting nervously.

"What're you standing around for?" Temari grabbed her hand as the guys stepped into the house.

Suzume's eyes widened at the touch and before she knew it, she was standing inside the mudroom. The shinobi were all taking off their sandals and storing them away or else taking off other outer garments and hanging them on hooks. The inside was relatively clean, aside from the disintegrating door.

"Temari, have you finished the files?" Gaara asked as he untied the sash that held his gourd to his back.

"I'm almost done," Temari gently lowered her fan on the floor and let it lean against the wall. "A few more pages."

"What do we have in the fridge?" Kankuro queried as he released the puppet on his back.

"No idea," Temari stretched her arms out.

"Not a good sign," Kankuro pulled off his hood, revealing his mess of brown hair. "I'll throw something together."

"Um…" their eyes landed on Suzume who was awkwardly standing to the side, staring down at the floor. "I… um…" she slid her foot along the floor nervously. "I'm dirty… so…"

Kankuro grinned and went up to her. His hand landed on her filthy hair and he ruffled it up. Suzume stared up at him with wide obsidian eyes. Kankuro pointed at the door leading to the main part of the house. "Bathroom's down the hall, third door on the left. Help yourself,_ jan_. We'll get you some fresh clothes too."

She nodded and hurried out the mudroom, out of their sight.

Kankuro's smile fell off his face and he turned to Gaara. "You sure about this? We give her food and a chance to clean up and then what? Throw her back onto the streets?"

"I agree with Kankuro," Temari pulled the hair ties out of her hair, letting her blonde locks fall around her face. "It feels like we're giving her a false hope."

Gaara remained silent.

Kankuro sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'll start cooking dinner, _jan_," he turned the corner muttering to himself about how he has to make soup since Suzume's stomach isn't used to solids.

* * *

><p>Gaara was reading the newspaper at the dining table while Kankuro was bustling around in the kitchen. The boys both heard footsteps and lifted their gaze only for Kankuro's mouth to drop open and Gaara's eyes to widen.<p>

It was like Suzume was a completely different person. She was still as skinny as a twig but her dark brown hair had turned lighter, damp from the shower. Suzume's skin was as clean as a whistle and her lips were shining with Chap Stick, no longer cracking and dry. Temari, having come in with the young girl, was staring at her from the corner of her eye, just as shocked as her brothers.

She was wearing a baggy T-shirt and shorts that reached her knee, provided by Temari. The young brown haired girl kept glancing up at them, unsure of why they were staring.

Temari was the first to recover. "Have a seat next to Gaara, Suzume. Dinner will be ready soon."

Suzume rushed over to the seat as if it was her lifeline. Gaara folded up the newspaper, staring at her sideways. She sat so stiffly, her gaze glued on the table and her fists clenched at her sides. Her head whipped up when Temari placed a cup in front of her and poured ice water into it from a pitcher.

"Drink up," she said.

Suzume was reaching for the cup when it was snatched away. She blinked, confused.

"You want to kill her, Temari?!" Kankuro yelled at his sister, throwing around the cup of water furiously. "This is worse than giving her steak!"

"Huh?!" Temari squawked. "What're you talking about?! I was just giving her some water!"

"Cold water is the worst thing you can give her! Lukewarm water! _Lukewarm_!"

Suzume was watching them argue when a different cup of water was placed in front of her, this time without ice. Gaara sat back down in his seat and Suzume gaped at him. He looked over at her. "Drink."

Suzume did so.

* * *

><p>Kankuro ladled some soup into Suzume's bowl as her black eyes brightened up and she gulped, staring at the clear soup in such longing she might have been drinking in the soup with her gaze.<p>

"Go ahead," Temari said, twirling her spoon between her fingers.

Suzume tentatively picked up her spoon and dipped it inside the soup. She lifted the spoon to her mouth and took a sip. Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. Kankuro was stunned as Temari rounded on him.

"Did you put something in the soup?!"

"No!" Kankuro shook his hands in defense. "It was only some watered down broth! I didn't think it'd taste so bad…"

"That's not it…" Suzume sniffed, quickly wiping away her tears only to have more replace the former. She whimpered and sobbed, trying to compose herself again. "That's not it."

Suzume's shoulders shook and her eyes were squeezed shut tightly as she wept. "I've never tasted something so good in my entire life!"

The shinobi's eyes softened as they watched her cry.

"Arigatou gozaimasu…!" Suzume strangled out. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

Kankuro grinned. "Our pleasure."

"You should finish up the soup before it gets cold," Temari advised, raising some of it to her mouth.

Suzume nodded and, with a couple of tears still trailing down her cheeks, gulped down the soup. All three siblings took a sip and had varying reactions of disgust. Kankuro hurriedly clamped his hands over his mouth as he felt his tongue and throat rejecting the broth. Temari stuffed a bunch of side dishes in her mouth and Gaara was frozen in his seat, his face turning blue.

_This tastes horrible…!_

Suzume finished her portion and looked down at it in somewhat disappointment. "Can I have some more?" she asked in a quiet voice, uncertain if she was welcomed to request for seconds.

They all shoved their bowls toward her frantically. Suzume was overcome with happiness.

As they watched her eat, Temari was the first to speak. "Suzume, shouldn't you go to the orphanage? They can take care of you."

"They kicked me out," she stated calmly, reaching for Kankuro's bowl next.

"What?" Kankuro arched an eyebrow. "They can't kick you out."

"They were overpopulated," Suzume breathed in the food, having difficulty with juggling her need and want to eat and her determination to answer their questions. "Not enough funds."

"Shouldn't the higher ups be providing money?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know any details."

"How long have you been on the streets?" Temari questioned.

Suzume tilted her head, thinking carefully. "A year at most."

Kankuro and Temari exchanged glances then fixated their eyes on Gaara, who was tracing the rim of his cup with his finger. That was around the time the raid on Konoha had failed. The large expenses to cover the attack must've affected the public more than they first supposed.

"How have you been getting food, water?" Kankuro asked of her.

"Trash bins and the sewage," she answered so bluntly, like it was a normal occurrence for someone to be living that way. "Amazing what you can find behind restaurants. They throw away tons of good food. But I always manage to throw it back up," Suzume frowned. "Such a waste."

The shinobi remained silent.

Suzume realized she must've overstayed her welcome and got to her feet. "Um. I'll be going now," she bowed to them. "I'll never forget your kindness. Thank you for everything. Oh," she looked down at herself, noticing that she still had on the borrowed clothes. "I'll change back."

She headed for the restroom again when Kankuro stood up. "Suzume, wait!"

The young girl jumped and, using the corner as a protective shield, peered at Kankuro from behind it. Kankuro sweatdropped. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you…"

Gaara twisted around in his seat to look into Suzume's frightened eyes. "Why don't you stay?"

Suzume couldn't believe what came out of his mouth. "Stay?"

"Yeah," Temari walked over to her. "We have plenty of spare rooms."

Suzume gawked at her, speechless.

"You said the orphanage kicked you out, so, we'll adopt you, _jan_," Kankuro beamed.

"I don't understand…" Suzume was holding her breath. "Why would you want…"

_…__someone like me?_

Gaara knew how that fragmented sentence would have ended.

"If we let you go now, it'll plague us with guilt," Temari said with a straight face and then it split into a cheeky smile as she wrapped an arm around the girl. "I've always wanted a little sister."

"But… I can't…"

Temari stuck her face uncomfortably close to hers. "You have somewhere you have to return to?"

"No…"

"You have anywhere you need to be?"

"No…"

"Then you'll be staying here," Temari decided. "Welcome to the family, Suzume."

"Family?" Suzume was overwhelmed by this turn of events.

"Come on," Temari pulled her along. "Let's pick out your room."

"I get my own room?"

The boys watched them disappear up the stairs and Kankuro considered Gaara. "You planned for this to happen."

"I don't know what you mean," Gaara took a sip out of his cup of tea.

* * *

><p>Suzume was trying to absorb her situation. Just that morning she'd woken up worrying about how she would get enough food for the day, and now she was standing in the middle of a guest room waiting for a blonde shinobi to return with a few toiletries.<p>

The door opened and Suzume turned to see Temari in the doorway. The kunoichi walked over to the bed and laid down towels, lotions, and various other necessities before walking over to Suzume. "What color do you want?" she held out an array of toothbrushes in various colors for the young girl to choose from.

Suzume picked the blue one. Temari returned the others into a tiny box she'd been holding under her arm and approached the girl. "Aaaah," she instructed her to open her mouth.

The brunette opened her mouth wide and Temari examined her teeth, searching for any cavities or possibly gum disease. She was surprised to see that there were no complications.

"That's unusual," Temari muttered under her breath, straightening up again after finishing her inspection.

"My teeth have always been healthy," Suzume told her after hearing Temari's comment. "Not sure why, but I try not to question it."

"Looks like we won't need to visit the dentist," Temari said. "The visit to the doctor, however, is mandatory."

Suzume kept silent.

"Good thing I have the day off tomorrow. We can go buy clothes for you. We can't have you in those baggy things," Temari continued.

"I…um…"

Temari smiled softly at her and strode over to the door. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Um, Temari-sama!"

_Sama?_

"Nani?" Temari faced the girl again.

"Thank you, again," Suzume said sheepishly. "I… really am grateful."

Temari grinned toothily. "It's not a problem, imoto."

Suzume was taken by surprise by that last word, but before she could say anything, Temari slipped out the door.

* * *

><p>The girls went to the hospital for the checkup the next morning and Temari was pulled aside to be spoken to in private. The doctor informed her that because of the prolonged starvation, Suzume's body ate her muscles to sustain the energy needed for her organs and brain to function. People who suffer from anoreixia or starvation have a hard time building up muscle mass. The worst that could happen is that she might never be able to build it up at all, that sustaining even a normal weight might be a struggle.<p>

He also told Temari that the girl hasn't been exposed to a proper socializing. Since all the interaction she's done with humans so far were pretty much negative, she won't know how to properly regulate her emotions and this will lead to anxiety disorders. The doctor recommended her to help Suzume recognize, control, and express her emotions as soon as possible.

Temari listened to this last part with her eye twitching. Emotions aren't really the family's specialty. They were all quite reserved and private. She sighed. It'll work out. Probably… hopefully…

The pair picked up a few pills that they were prescribed and went on to the shopping district. Tarps were set up in the streets in preparation for the possible rain shower that the clouds overhead were teasing about.

"I'm not good with this shopping stuff," Temari was looking around at the different stores. "Do you have any particular place you want to visit?"

To her surprise, the girl was biting her lower lip and glancing around nervously. Temari followed her gaze and saw the villagers whispering to each other and glaring at Suzume as she walked. A group of girls in a candy shop sniggered at the sight of the younger girl. Temari threw them a dirty look and they turned around hastily.

Temari felt a protective feeling rise inside of her and she began to stalk toward the flock of girls.

"Temari-sama?" Suzume had to walk quickly to catch up to her. "What're you doing?"

"I'm going to teach them a lesson."

Temari felt a rather weak grip on her upper arm and saw Suzume clinging onto her, trying to hold her back.

"Let me go, Suzume."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I've only known you for a day," Temari's eyes enlarged at these words. "It's weird to have a complete stranger standing up for me."

Temari relaxed her tense shoulders and Suzume let her go after it seemed that she wouldn't do anything.

"Fine. You're right."

Suzume stared at the ground.

"But…"

Suzume felt Temari's hand slip into hers and grip it tight. She lifted her head up in astonishment to see the back of Temari's head as she led her through the street.

"There'll come a time when I'm not a stranger," Temari looked over her shoulder to smirk at Suzume. "And that'll be when I get to beat up anybody who insults you."

Suzume's lips parted, moved by this feeling… what was it…? It was new… it was… warm.

"Come on. Let's get to know each other better," they rushed off into a store.

Just as Temari thought, Suzume wasn't much of a girly girl herself. She went straight to the darker colors and her eyes went over the dresses and skirts. At the end of that shop, they had bought two black tank tops, a few baggy shirts, shorts, a pair of gray toned pants, and some underwear.

"Anything else we need?" Temari skimmed through the receipt, checking that they get ripped off.

"All I really need is some pajamas so I can return yours."

"Then we'll go in there," Temari motioned to a fabric store down the street. "I usually go there for pajamas. They're pretty well made and the woman who owns the store is elderly so I try to help as much as I can."

Suzume merely nodded.

When they entered the store, Suzume saw rows and rows of cloth and clothing. On the far wall hung hundreds of colors of thread and there was a display of sewing needles in a glass case. The seat at the counter was empty but there was a door leading to the back room that the owner would have been in.

"The pajamas are over there," Temari pointed to a section of the room. "Take your pick."

Suzume followed Temari's finger and went to examine the pajamas.

"Anybody here!" Temari called.

"I'll be right there," answered a friendly voice. The back door opened and an elderly woman stepped out. "Oh, Temari-san! It's nice to see you again!"

"You too, Aiko baa-chan," Temari grinned. "How's business?"

"Booming, ever since you recommended me to some of your acquaintances," the old woman smiled.

"It was nothing, I was glad to help."

The elderly lady smiled again. "What brings you to my store today?"

Temari gesticulated to Suzume behind her. "I need to get my imōto some pajamas."

The lady craned her head to see the young girl inspecting some of her products. Her smile faded. "I didn't know you had a younger sister, Temari-san."

"Oh, we adopted her yesterday."

"Is that so?"

At that moment, Suzume joined the two at the counter. "I'm done, Temari-sama."

Temari scrutinized the pajamas Suzume picked as she placed them on the counter. They were light blue with a crown accent on the collar. In short, they didn't give Temari much on Suzume's character, other than her being pretty simple in her clothes.

"That'll be 900 yen," Aiko baa-chan said wrapping the clothes in tissue paper and placing them in a paper bag. She handed it to Suzume with a small smile.

"Thank you," Suzume said formally.

"Here you go," Temari said placing the money on the counter. Suzume was already heading to the exit. "See you later, baa-chan."

"Temari-san."

Temari turned curiously at the woman's voice. "Yes?"

"Take good care of the child," Aiko said.

Temari smiled and nodded. "I will. Have a good day!"

After the girls left, the old woman retired to the back room once again. She sat luxuriously on a small chair and sighed.

"That girl is surely…" the old lady muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

As the days passed, Suzume learned much about her new home and adoptive family. The Kazekage mansion was divided into two, the shinobi headquarters and the Kazekage quarters. As she learned before, they weren't allowed to enter through the front door and were forbidden to enter the hallway that led to the public part of the building and the opposite was true for the suna shinobi.

The young girl found that the fourth step of the staircase always creaked and that the faucet in the powder room leaked. She also found a hole in the wood flooring when she stepped on a newspaper that had been strewn carelessly on the floor in the mudroom. At first she had thought it was to wipe the dirt off their shoes but it turned out the paper was being used to hide the rotting wood panel. In addition to this, the newspaper itself was about twenty years old and an article on the front saying that the third Kazekage was declared dead.

While exploring the home, she found interesting quirks about it. Since the idea of a Kazekage was an old one, it was no doubt that the mansion would be stuck in the time they invented the concept. She saw modern renovations that mixed naturally with the old quirks of the house. The tile in the restrooms and the kitchen were a bit outdated but the wood flooring was relatively new, well, as new as it could be if it was rotting. Some of the doors had a strange style to it, with gold furnishes including the doorknob or the fake crystal knobs, but others had the sleek design of the times with silver or black simple knobs. The appliances were upgraded as well, which was a big contrast to the brick wall behind the ancient oven/stove.

There was also a dumbwaiter that connected to the main floor, the second and third floor, and the basement. She would be lying if she said she didn't secretly ride it when nobody was home. There was also a separate staircase from the main one. Temari had told her that when they had had servants, the servants would use it to go up and down the floors while staying out of sight. It was supposed to be curtesy to the guests and the family. Now, it was Suzume's own form of travel.

A room on the first floor was also discovered by the young brunette. A wall of rice paper sliding doors that were painted with cranes, tsunamis, mountains, and blossoming trees hid away a large sparring room. Bamboo mats laid out across the floor, a little dip in the entrance where a person was expected to leave their shoes, floor to ceiling wood paneling, and high ceilings. She'd sometimes spy on the Sand Siblings while they practiced their taijutsu.

As they coexisted, Suzume slowly learned that Temari, who was the oldest, was very outspoken and blunt. She was very logical and responsible. Suzume would usually see Temari studying, writing up a report, or doing household chores. She seemed to know how to take care of herself by herself, never asking for aid from Kankuro or Gaara.

Kankuro, from what Suzume observed, watches over both of his siblings in the shadows. He seemed to understand that Gaara and Temari both had pride about being able to hold their own but still wanted to look after them. He was more expressive than his fellow relatives and used his punk demeanor to hide his own weaknesses in order to keep from hindering his family.

Gaara was very quiet, often observing rather than acting. But when he did speak, it was very impactful and held great importance. Suzume thought that he was attempting to learn how to socialize with other people as much as she was.

Suzume was assigned chores and was incorporated into the household responsibilities cycle. Every Monday and Wednesday she'd vacuum the rooms and do the laundry. Every Tuesday and Thursday she'd wash the dishes and cook breakfast and dinner. She offered to do more since the siblings were working while she was not, but Kankuro had insisted that the workload had lifted immensely simply by giving her the tasks she had now.

But, despite this, the siblings would find that they didn't need to do their own chores when they came back from work. Often finding no laundry to wash, no dishes to clean, and hot food on the table. They told Suzume that she didn't need to do such things but she responded by saying that she had nothing better to do and that learning to cook was interesting and came almost instinctively to her. The three shinobi gave up on trying to persuade her after realizing she was doing it to lessen her guilty conscious. They just assumed that after some time, she would stop and they would have equal duties again.

Suzume's room was on the far left of the first story corridor. Temari's was in the middle room on the second floor and Gaara's was on the third floor. She discovered that Kankuro's room was in the basement and when she asked him why, he had told her that it was quiet and he preferred the dark. And when she asked Gaara why he was living separate from the rest, he said it was to make sure nobody sneaked into any of the floors and try to attack them. She accepted the answer, observing the fact that each floor, except the first, had been covered by each sibling before she came along. It made her a bit pleased by the fact that she was able to complete the system.

Gaara was the only one that knew that Suzume sometimes rode the dumbwaiter. He'd come home and spotted her climbing in and a sparkle in her eye, showing her excitement and anticipation as the contraption started its ascent. He also knew that she didn't sleep much. He'd sometimes spot her in the garden behind the mansion at night when he was sitting and watching the moon as he does every night. When it happened every night for almost a month, he wondered if he should tell Temari and Kankuro about it.

Kankuro noticed that she'd never go out if she didn't have one of them beside her. He thought it was cute, but on the other hand, he was worried. He thought she should be able to walk around the village without any fear and disquiet.

Temari was very aware of the fact that Suzume never stepped out of the house, even if she was with someone when the sun was out. When the sun was covered in clouds, it was a different story. She'd be eager to go out shopping with her or the guys. Temari wanted to ask why but she would always forget to.

All of the siblings found it adorable and almost comforting to see Suzume waiting for them to come home outside on the doorstep. Her face would light up at the sight of them and she'd rush over and relieve them of their weapons. Once, she tried to lift up Gaara's gourd but barely lifted it up an inch. She'd looked so disappointed that Gaara's mouth lifted up in a small, indistinguishable smile and he had ruffled up her hair, telling her it was fine. If the trio didn't come at the same time, Suzume would wait for each of them, even if it was past midnight and Temari had nagged at her about coming in because it was too cold and that Kankuro and Gaara could take care of themselves.

They also loved her cooking. She got better each day and made huge progress. Her eggs and toast in the morning became soups, a bowl of rice, and mouthwatering side dishes. Her rice and spam for dinner became full course meals that left them stuffed. It helped with the fact that before she had come to live with them, they had relied on Kankuro's decent cooking and fast food restaurants which was hardly a real meal. But it couldn't be helped since Temari was a horrible cook and Gaara was ten times worse. Suzume had been delighted to find out that Gaara loved her cookies and Temari had to restrict her from baking them too often since she became concerned that Gaara would gain cookie weight. When Temari told that to Suzume, she was absolutely horrified and researched about balanced diets until she was an expert.

Suzume never smiled or laughed. The only way they could tell she was happy was when her expression lightened up. They didn't necessarily think it was a problem but Temari had informed her brothers that they needed to teach her how to express emotions. They too were horrified at the prospect.

But there was a certain detail that bothered them about Suzume. She wouldn't stop calling them with honorifics. Even as she became more relaxed with them by the day, she'd always call them Kankuro-_sama_, or Temari-_sama_. It was almost cringe worthy. But they hesitated in telling her. As stated before, none of them were very open about their true feelings.

It was very rarely when all three siblings had a day off. The academy they were working at for the time being had an incident with a foolhardy kid and a couple of bomb tags. He was fine, but it was doubtful he would ever try to blow up the toilets in the restrooms anymore.

Suzume had been delighted when they told her that they would be at home for an entire day. So delighted in fact, that she had asked Kankuro to accompany her to the grocery store to get some food for a feast. The kitchen counters and the table was stacked with plastic bags filled with fresh produce.

"Suzume," Temari chuckled, examining the bags. "Do you really think we can eat all of this?"

"Why? Is it too much?"

"A bit."

Suzume thought about it then held her fist in front of her in determination. "I'll make it work."

Temari clapped her on the shoulder. "You can do this, imoto."

That was when Gaara stepped into the room. He surveyed the groceries with wide eyes. "This seems unnecessarily extravagant."

Suzume sulked, blue lines over her form.

Gaara became flustered. "Suzume, I didn't mean to—"

"Gaara look at what you did," Kankuro appeared behind his little brother. "You made our imoto sad."

"You're not making the situation any better, Kankuro," Gaara shot at him. "And didn't you accompany her to the grocery store? Why didn't you prevent this?"

Kankuro laughed, completely avoiding his brother's question, and went over to wrap an arm around Suzume. "To compensate, Gaara will eat twice as much as he usually does, _jan_. That'll cheer you up, right, Suzume?"

Gaara was about to refute the statement when he saw Suzume look up at him with hopeful eyes. He was defeated even before the battle began. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine."

Temari and Kankuro sniggered as Suzume eagerly began to cook the food.

"Can we do anything to help, Suzume?" Temari asked.

Suzume stared over her shoulder at them, calculating. "Yes." She walked over to the cupboards and pulled out the dishware. She walked back over to Gaara and presented a bowl to him. "Please wash this and keep away from the food, Gaara-sama."

Gaara was deeply offended. When he didn't respond to her words or make a move to accept the bowl, Suzume reached down, grabbed his hand, and placed the bowl on it. Temari and Kankuro were finding it hard to breathe, trying to keep their laughter in to spare Gaara of any more embarrassment.

"And Temari-sama," Suzume dug around in the plastic bags before pulling out a couple of vegetables. "Cut the green onions up and don't do anything else. Only. Cut."

Temari observed the onion in her hands, looking confused with her eyebrows knitted. "Shouldn't there be a specific method? Do I hold the knife a certain way? Or perhaps I have to add some spices—"

"Simply. Cut," Suzume repeated emphatically.

Kankuro sweatdropped as Temari and Gaara submissively followed Suzume's instructions. _She's only been here for a month and she's already figured out our family's greatest flaw…_

"Kankuro-sama," Suzume's voice drew Kankuro's attention and the sand shinobi looked over at his sister's blank expression. "I will allow you to assist me in preparation of the meat."

Gaara and Temari's eyes blazed like the devil's. Kankuro felt shivers crawl up and down his spine.

_I sense a bit of hostility from behind…_

As they worked, Kankuro noticed Suzume yawning repeatedly and her eyes were getting droopy.

"Hey, you okay?" he nudged her with his elbow.

"Yeah…" Suzume yawned again. "I'm fine… I think…"

"You wanna take a break?"

"Maybe after I'm done frying the tempura," Suzume adjusted the pan. "The oil's almost ready."

Kankuro nodded and Suzume picked up a piece of shrimp and prepared to place it on the spitting oil. Her vision became fuzzy and her limbs heavy. She shook her head a bit, attempting to clear it up, but it did nothing to help.

There was a clattering and many things happened at once. As Suzume fell, she hit the handle of the pan, making it teeter on the edge of the oven. Kankuro yelled out her name and rushed into action as the boiling oil fell.

What resulted was Kankuro shielding Suzume underneath him and Gaara's sand above his brother having intercepted the oil before it made contact.

Kankuro sighed a breath of relief as Temari replaced the pan onto the stove and Gaara retracted his sand.

"What happened?!" Temari yelled.

Kankuro sat up and pulled Suzume into his arms frantically. "Oi, Suzume!" he shook her roughly but still got no response. "Suzume!"

* * *

><p>Suzume woke up to see a sterile white ceiling. She sat up, incredibly confused. She was in a stiff hospital gown and metal bed. Curtains were on either side of her and on the other wall there was a cart full of fancy equipment. Question marks appeared around the girl's head spontaneously, her head coming up empty when trying to remember what happened.<p>

A woman in a uniform, flipping through a clipboard, was passing by when she noticed Suzume. She smiled blandly.

"Look who's up. Sleeping beauty decides to awaken from her slumber."

"Um…" Suzume watched as the nurse came up to her bed. "I—"

Suzume flinched when the doctor slapped her hand on her forehead. "Temperature seems normal…" she muttered under her breath as she jotted something down on the clipboard. "Turn around."

Suzume blinked at her. The woman lifted an eyebrow. "Do you understand Japanese?" the doctor unwrapped the stethoscope from around her neck. "Turn around, little girl."

The brunette did as she was told and jumped when she felt a metallic chill on her bare back.

"Breathe," the woman instructed.

Suzume took in a deep breath and then released it as she did when Temari had taken her to the doctor's.

"Lungs and heart seem fine," the doctor shifted some papers around. "You're quite the specimen, sleeping for a week straight."

Suzume didn't seem surprised. "Can I leave?"

The doctor speculated her before tucking the clipboard under her arm. "I don't know. Can you?"

Suzume lowered her gaze, uncomfortable. "May I?" she said quietly.

"You'll be welcomed to remove your useless presence from this already fully occupied hospital," the doctor disappeared around the corner before coming back and throwing a shirt and shorts at Suzume. "Change then get out."

"Um, excuse me!" Suzume said before the woman could leave.

"What?" she snapped.

"I was just wondering… if… if anybody was… was…" Suzume's sentence trailed off.

"If you're talking about the shinobi who brought you in and constantly came to visit you, we banned them from coming in on your third day."

"Oh," Suzume's eyes widened.

The doctor's eyes softened and her irritation seemed to ebb away. "You know how to get home?"

Suzume nodded and she looked down at the clothes in her hands. _Home…_

Thankfully, it was night time when Suzume left the hospital and she was able to, well, leave it. She used the alleyways that she was familiar with to get to the Kazekage mansion. Once she got to the building, she sat on the doorstep since she couldn't quite open the door like the others.

There weren't many things on the side of the Kazekage mansion. It was mostly sand and a single forlorn tree. The tree was dead. Nothing but a hollow trunk and branches that no longer held itself in its radiant green robe. A swing hung from one of the branches. The seat was made of a plank of wood and the ropes creaked when the wind blew through. It would most likely break if someone were to sit themselves on it.

Birds flew down and perched on top of Suzume's shoulder or hopped around her feet. She absentmindedly held up a finger and a bird flew and landed on it. The girl stared vacantly at it. Suzume felt the desert wind blow through her and the swing began to fly around wildly.

The young girl began to think. Why had she been so desperate to know where the shinobi were? Why had she felt a surge of fear when she woke up alone?

_Freak!_

Suzume took in a small breath.

_Nobody wants you around! Hurry up and die!_

Because she expects them to realize that she wasn't worth taking care of.

"Su… zu… MEEEEEEH!"

The birds took off in a flurry of feathers and startled tweets.

"Eek!" Suzume started in fright when she realized Kankuro's infuriated expression was right in front of her.

"Who said you could escape from the hospital without waiting for us to get off work, huh?!"

"Escape?" Temari's eyes were cut in half as she observed her brother scaring their sister. Gaara was next to her, just as unamused.

"Gomenasai!" Suzume shrieked in the face of Kankuro's wrath.

"You're going back right now,_ jan_!" Kankuro began to drag Suzume off, stomping in rage.

"Wait…!" Suzume choked out. "Kankuro-sama…! There's no need!"

"No need, my ass!"

"Really!" Suzume kept struggling. "It happens every month!"

Kankuro paused in his rampage and turned around incredibly slowly. Once he faced forward entirely, his eye was twitching and blue lines graced his forehead. "W-what… did you say?"

* * *

><p>After calming down, the group went into their house and sat down for dinner.<p>

"What?" Temari's eyes grew two sizes. "You sleep for a week every month and for the following week you don't sleep at all?" she repeated incredulously. "Is that even possible?"

Suzume's eyebrows creased. "Is it?"

"That's what I'm asking you!"

Suzume gazed down at her plate of food. "I don't understand it myself…"

Kankuro sighed, somewhat relieved. "That clears everything up."

"And you!" Temari growled at the puppeteer. "What were you thinking she meant, my dear brother?!"

Kankuro shrunk under her aura. "N-nothing, ma'am."

Gaara turned to Suzume as Temari hissed at Kankuro. "Since when has this happened?"

"Ever since I can remember," Suzume answered.

"The doctors told us you were in a coma," Kankuro said to her after Temari had settled down. "To think you were just sleeping. I feel silly for being worried, _jan_."

Suzume's eyes enlarged a fraction. _Worried?_

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Temari queried of the younger girl.

"I was sort of hoping it wouldn't happen again."

"Well, it doesn't seem harmful. Still doesn't make sense though," Temari held her chin in her hand. "Hey, you can keep Gaara company. He never sleeps."

Suzume regarded the redhead curiously. "Why is that, Gaara-sama?"

Gaara hesitated. They had been able to avoid the subject of Gaara being a jinchuuriki and the three had been waiting for the best time to tell Suzume. Gaara didn't really think she was ready. His siblings caught his reluctance and jumped in to help.

"It's something he was born with," Kankuro said quickly. "It's a sort of gene mutation."

"Ooooh," Suzume accepted the answer. "That makes sense."

Temari sweatdropped. _Does it?_

"Anything else you want to tell us?" the blonde asked. "While we're on the subject, that is."

Suzume sat in her seat, thinking carefully. "I can't stand the heat."

"…Huh?" Temari and Kankuro chorused.

"Whenever I go out and I'm under direct sunlight, I always faint," Suzume rephrased her statement.

"Wait, wait," Kankuro gestured in a slowdown motion. "You're saying, as a citizen of the Sand, the Village Hidden in the Sand that's located in the desert, that you can't handle heat?"

Suzume bobbed her head up and down in answer.

To the Sand Siblings, this fact might've been even stranger than Suzume's sleeping habit.

"Is that too weird?" Suzume said worriedly.

"Yeah," Kankuro deadpanned.

A metal pan hit Suzume over the head.

Temari crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "Undeniably."

Another pan struck Suzume on the head.

Gaara nodded.

Five more fell from out of nowhere and collided with her head.

"But, we can work with it," Temari smiled. "You just need to be under shade, right? We'll buy you an umbrella."

Suzume's lips parted. It wasn't really a tactful way to reply to her, but… that's just the way these people were.

"You all lack delicacy, don't you," Suzume stated frankly.

"Where does delicacy get you?" Temari scoffed. "Nowhere. If a person can't take the harsh truth, they're just a weak minded pushover."

"Oi, oi…" Kankuro grimaced. "We shouldn't be teaching her our messed up philosophies."


	4. Chapter 4

One day, Suzume woke up and found a kitten on their doorstep.

Suzume tilted her head to the side, gazing down at the cat emotionlessly. It looked up at her in the same way, its golden eyes staring into her soul. It flicked its long tail and meowed at her.

"Suzume…" Temari didn't know how to react. "Why is there a cat on your head?"

Suzume rotated around to face her sister. Her face void of emotion contrasted deeply with the endearing way the cat was hanging on her head. Even as she watched, the blue kitten yawned and Temari couldn't help but have the word 'cute' pass through her thoughts.

"Her name is Hisoka," Suzume said.

"I didn't ask for its name! Moreover, you named it already?!"

Suzume detached the cat from her head and held it in her arms, looking up at Temari with sad eyes. "I'm not allowed to keep it, Temari-sama?"

Temari sagged a bit in defeat. "You can act adorable when you want to, can't you, Suzume…"

Suzume cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Suzume was often left alone in the house since the others had shinobi duties to attend to. Hisoka was the only living thing that kept her company. The little blue kitten would follow the stoic girl around, trotting after Suzume's feet as she cleaned the house or prepared dinner. The kitten became her best friend.

Temari attached her fan and it clicked in place. Kankuro shouldered his puppet and Gaara tied his gourd to his back. They were all donning on their weapons in the mudroom. The room itself was dark as the sun hadn't risen yet, but a light in the hallway was enough to let them see. They turned to their little sister.

"We'll see you tonight, Suzume," Kankuro said in farewell.

Suzume, who had crawled out of bed at four in the morning to be able to say goodbye, had messy hair and drooping eyes. She yawned and waved her hand lazily. "Bye… Be safe…"

Temari flicked her on the forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay…" Kankuro opened the door and Gaara gave Suzume a little wave before the door closed behind the trio.

"And they're gone again…" Suzume mumbled as Hisoka padded up to her side, sat down, and meowed. Suzume looked down at her before going back to her room.

Suzume woke up again at seven and, slipping on her slippers, went to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. She placed a saucer of milk onto the floor for Hisoka and went to fetch the toast that had popped out of the toaster. She sat herself down at the dining room table and bit into the buttered toast.

* * *

><p>At the Sand Ninja Prep Institution for the Aspiring Shinobi, Gaara was finishing some paperwork when he noticed some of his coworkers were giving him strange looks. He was ignoring them, figuring they'd say something eventually. He discovered he was correct in that assumption when a fellow teacher went up to him.<p>

Gaara looked up to see a fidgeting man who was quite older than him, avoiding eye contact as he tried to form words.

"W-we heard…" he mumbled and Gaara strained to hear. "That y-you… and your siblings picked up a girl from the streets…"

"That is so," Gaara replied calmly.

This caused the teachers to begin muttering wildly and the man in front of Gaara cleared his throat.

"I-is she, um, okay?"

Gaara began to realize what was going on and his eyes darkened.

"I mean to say…" the man must've thought Gaara didn't understand. "Is she… you know… still alive?"

Gaara exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. He began to gather his papers and stack them neatly in a folder. He stood from his seat and the man stumbled back as Gaara pushed in his seat.

Gaara addressed the quivering man. "Excuse me. I need to turn this report in."

"Y-yeah…" the man said as he kept his eyes on Gaara.

The redhead disappeared around the doorway and the teachers all held their breath till his footsteps faded away. Once they were sure he was well away, the man heaved a relieved sigh and fell to the ground, panting.

"My heart! My heart was about to detonate!"

"You were so brave, Masaru-sensei!"

"Man…" Masaru popped up into a sitting position. "He's got the eyes of a devil, I tell you! Felt the soul being sucked out of me!"

"I'm still worried about that girl though," one of the other instructors expressed. "What would they want with a little, defenseless girl?"

"Nothing good, that's what!" responded another.

"Should we call the authorities?"

"And what?! Get killed by that monster?! No, thank you!"

"Just forget it. We have better things to do."

"You're right. Alright, people! Let's finish work and go home already."

"Gaara-sama!"

Gaara lifted his head to see Suzume running up to him, Hisoka at her heels.

"Suzume…" he responded weakly.

A moment later, she was struggling to pick up his gourd sit that it was being inched up Gaara's back and the redhead was stuck in a weird position as his sister continued the attempt.

"You really don't have to force yourself, Suzume," Gaara sweatdropped.

Gaara had his gourd retied properly back onto his back and Suzume was walking beside him, disappointed.

"It's fine," he reassured. "I'm used to carrying it."

"One day, I'll be able to pick it up," Suzume promised herself. "Without any help either. Kankuro-sama was showing off the other day too," Suzume recalled the other day when Kankuro lifted up the gourd as if it weighed nothing with a very smug look on his face. "I'll show him."

They walked in silence and Gaara stared at his sister from the corner of his eyes. "Suzume."

"Is something the matter, Gaara-sama?"

He kept quiet for so long, Suzume blinked at him in confusion. "What do you think when you look at me?"

"The first time I looked at you, I wondered why you didn't have eyebrows," his sister responded immediately.

Gaara took a while to process what she said. "That's not what I meant."

"Do you mean when I look at you now?" he nodded. "Arch enemy of the culinary arts," Suzume deadpanned.

Gaara felt like giving up. It wasn't exactly how he was expecting her to answer, but it was an answer all the same. There was no fear in Suzume. The fact that she was walking comfortably beside him was proof enough. It made him happy.

They arrived at the house and Gaara watched as Suzume tried to pick the lock by herself. She succeeded and turned excitedly to him. He nodded in acknowledgement and that made her even more pleased. Suzume left Gaara in the mudroom as she ran to help Temari set the table. Hisoka waited patiently while Gaara took off his shoes and the cat followed him as he went to wash up.

He stared at it as he was drying off his hands. He hung the towel up again before bending down. He lifted a hand above its head, hesitating. Animals usually didn't like him near, they'd bark or hiss at him whenever he was. He was expecting the cat to do the same, but it surprised him by closing the gap between its head and his hand. Gaara ran the hand down its back and it purred in delight.

"You take after your owner," he told the cat.

It opened its golden eyes to stare at him before meowing, agreeing with his words.

They both surpassed his expectations.

* * *

><p>"Kankuro-sama."<p>

"Hm?"

"This is really humiliating."

A tick mark appeared on Kankuro's head. "You're even more irritatingly straightforward than Gaara. And that's saying something, _jan_."

"I can't help it if it's the truth."

"Just hurry up and screw the lightbulb out."

Suzume was riding on top of Kankuro's shoulders, his hands on her legs to keep her steady. The blown out lightbulb squeaked as she untwisted it from its mechanics.

"Got it," Suzume said when the lightbulb finally came out.

"Good. Here," Kankuro lifted up a new lightbulb. Suzume grabbed it and Kankuro received the old bulb in exchange.

"We really need a ladder, Kankuro-sama."

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry it up."

Once Suzume finished installing the new light, Kankuro lowered her down to the floor and cracked his neck. "Yosh, we did it," Kankuro grabbed a tool box. "Now for the plumbing."

Suzume followed Kankuro downstairs. They passed by Kankuro's room and turned a corner to see a metal door to their right in a little built in part of the wall.

"Don't come in here without me, okay?" Kankuro removed the large plank that kept it closed and leaned it against the wall carefully. "I'm practically the only person who knows how to transverse this jungle."

Suzume nodded in answer as he pulled down a lever and gripped the handle of the door tightly. With many grunts of effort he opened the door out.

"What's the point of having a lock if it's that heavy?"

"Precautions, _jan_," Kankuro picked up the tool box again. "Shall we venture?"

Kankuro walked into the dark maintenance room ahead of Suzume and she was surprised to see that it was much larger than she had first supposed. Gears and rattling pipes twisted and turned in the space like an elaborate puzzle. The grilles underneath her creaked as she trailed after Kankuro, gawking up at the mechanisms. She ran into Kankuro's muscled back and stumbled back slightly, rubbing her nose.

Kankuro faced her with a smile. "Cool, huh?"

"It's overwhelming."

"Well, this room fuels the entire building, including the shinobi headquarters, so it should be overwhelming," Kankuro pointed at a large tank. It was four times as large as Suzume and had many signs that made it clear that it was a dangerous metal object.

"It's the gas tank. Never touch or go near it, jan," Kankuro started walking again. "Wouldn't want the whole house blowing up."

Suzume realized that Kankuro had already gone a few feet ahead and jogged to catch up. Kankuro finally halted and knelt down to open his tool box after they had walked for more than ten minutes.

Suzume watched as he took out a huge wrench and began tinkering with the workings. He looked so focused and sucked into his labor that Suzume couldn't help but feel moved. The hiss of the engine and the clattering of the metal increased their volume as the silence lengthened. Before Suzume knew it, Kankuro was wiping the sweat off his brow and turning to grin at her.

"Now comes your part."

"Huh?"

Kankuro pointed at a little crawl space through the pipes. "Inch in through there and tighten a few fastenings for me," he through a smaller wrench than what he had been using at Suzume.

She caught it and stared down at it. Kankuro placed a hard hat on Suzume's head and switched on the flashlight that was attached to it. Suzume lifted up her eyes and looked at him from under the brim of the hat. The brunette flicked his head in the direction of the tunnel resembling space. "Go on."

Suzume set her resolve and, placing the wrench in her mouth, got onto her hands and knees to crawl through. Kankuro saw her foot disappearing into the shadows. "Easy does it… if you think you can't fit, don't try."

There were cobwebs everywhere. There was the scent of oil and rusted metal filled her nose, the clanging of the pipes as Suzume accidentally kicked it with her foot as she crawled echoed against the many surfaces. The dust flew into the air when she disturbed their dormancy and made her sneeze.

"Bless you!" she heard Kankuro say.

"Thank you," she replied.

"You see the large red pipe? You should be there by now," Kankuro's voice called.

Suzume peeked around and saw what Kankuro had described. "Yeah!"

"Tighten the valve on the bottom and loosen the one on the top!"

Suzume did so and steam came billowing out of the top, showing Kankuro that she did it correctly. "Good! Now, do you see the little gap between the blue and the yellow?"

Suzume saw the faded, gray blue and the peeling, mustard yellow pipe. "Yes."

"There should be a leak somewhere around there."

Suzume placed her hand down and made contact with something wet. "Found it."

After she finsihed the maintenance work, Suzume reappeared out of the tunnel. She pulled off the hat and panted, spent from the toil. She wiped the sweat off her face and noticed that Kankuro had his hand up, grinning in pride at her.

"Great job today, partner," he commended.

Suzume stared at his hand and Kankuro stubbornly kept it in the air. Suzume shifted the hard hat over to free one of her hands and lightly tapped Kankuro's palm in a dull high five.

"What was that?" Kankuro shook his head in mock disappointment. "Be more enthusiastic."

Suzume blinked before trying again. This time… it actually made a slapping sound. Suzume seemed to think this was enough enthusiasm and stood there silently. Kankuro suddenly burst out laughing and ruffled up Suzume's sweat soaked hair.

"Come on," Kankuro picked up his tool box, wrapped an arm around Suzume's shoulders, and led them back to the door. "Let's go hug Temari and Gaara. They'll love how sweaty we are."

Which was a lie.

"Stay away from me, Kankuro!" Temari was cursing colorfully as Kankuro chased her out of the house. "I swear I will make you wish you've never been conceived if you even as much as poke me!"

Meanwhile, Gaara was standing uncomfortably in front of a sweaty Suzume, whose face was blank but expectant with her arms spread apart, waiting for a hug.


End file.
